


Sketching

by littlev123



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Multi, No Spoilers, i mean they do bicker a lot in this fic but that's how it be sometimes, listen all i want is for them to be happy, this is literally just random scenes there is no story here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 05:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15857388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlev123/pseuds/littlev123
Summary: Sequel to Rustling the Bouquet, but can be read by itself.A compilation of scenes from my tattoo artist/florist/piercer AU. This time we have mother hen Ash, Shorter's (sometimes) brilliant ideas, and Eiji's muscles.I'm taking requests for Ash/Eiji/Shorter. Feel free to leave some in a comment! (No NSFW though, and I haven't read the manga yet, so keep that in mind.)





	Sketching

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure several things in this fic were inspired by kizunah's amazing headcanons on tumblr; make sure to check them out!

Tension surrounded the trio currently eating at Chang Dai. Since Shorter’s family owned the place, their meals were discounted enough for Eiji to not feel guilty about Shorter paying. The lunch break started off amiable, and easy conversation had flowed between them for a while.

But now there was only one eggroll left. Ash and Shorter narrowed their eyes at each other, as if daring the other to make a move, and their chopstick-wielding fingers tensed.

Anticipation fluttered in Eiji’s chest. His gaze flicked between them, and with each passing second the hostility thickened. Shorter moved his hand just slightly closer, but Ash clicked his chopsticks together in warning. Both deadly serious over the last delectable appetizer, they fell back into a strained silence.

The glares they sent each other were truly intimidating…until five minutes had passed and still no one had moved. Eiji, long past done with their antics, glanced at a clock on the wall. How long were they going to keep at this?

An idea popped into his mind. He picked up his chopsticks, and thanks to their staring contest, neither Ash or Shorter noticed.

Eiji took a deep breath. This was probably a terrible idea. It might be too soon for him to be so bold in their newfound friendship. However, he wasn’t about to waste the last of his lunch break on this.

He snatched the eggroll and took a large bite.

“What?!”

“Eiji?!”

Eiji pointedly ignored their looks of betrayal as he chewed his prize. It was really good, he had to admit.

Slumping in his chair, Shorter groaned. “What the hell man.”

“I was about to win that,” Ash grumbled, and his mouth turned into what was suspiciously close to a pout.

Eiji swallowed before responding. “You were letting it get cold. Plus if I hadn’t done it, who knows how long you would have taken.”

“Well, I guess it is almost time for us to go back to work,” Ash sighed.

“I’ll ask my sis to make extra for us when we come back tomorrow,” Shorter decided. His disappointment had already vanished, and he casually linked his hands behind his head. “And of course you’re invited again too, Eiji.”

The Japanese male, who had taken another bite, awkwardly tried to quickly chew and swallow. “…ah, thanks! I’d love to.”

“We’ll try not to get that ridiculous again,” Ash said.

Shorter scoffed. “No promises.”

Eiji grinned. “Well, it’s not like I was bored.”

“How about we exchange numbers?” Shorter suggested.

“Sure.” Eiji reached into his pocket, but then Ash suddenly placed a hand on his arm. Startled, he questioningly met the blond’s no-nonsense expression.

“Don’t do it. You’ll regret it,” he whispered.

“Huh…?” Eiji looked over at Shorter, who only smiled wider.

Why was it dangerous to share numbers? He wanted to have them and be able to talk to them. Deciding Ash must be being silly, he did it regardless.

He repeated the process with Ash’s phone number. Then, just as he started to slide his phone into his pocket, the device buzzed.

“I warned you,” Ash said.

Thumbs poised over his phone screen, Shorter leaned forward. “I hope you like memes, Eiji.” 

\--

Ash’s pen left thin black lines of varying sizes, thicknesses, and curvatures across coarse sketchbook paper. Each flick of the wrist and bend of his fingers brought the picture further to life. In front of him lay his inspiration: the refined vase shaped petals of a white calla lily. Meanwhile, Shorter’s and Eiji’s conversation created a pleasant background noise that he tuned into every now and then.

Or at least it was until Eiji released inhaled a sharp breath that had the blond’s brow furrowing with worry.

“Are you all right?” Shorter questioned.

Whipping his head around, Ash saw the Japanese male set down a pair of pruners and look down at his fingers. He placed his sketchbook beside a pot and hurried over.

“Are you hurt?” Ash demanded, and he peered down at the damage. Soil stained the creases of Eiji’s skin and could be seen under his blunt fingernails. What caught his attention, however, was the bead of blood forming and sliding down the thumb.

“It’s nothing.” Eiji’s voice held only truth; he just calmly inspected the prick and headed to the counter.

Unlike Shorter, who accepted the reassurance, Ash felt a wave of attentiveness that left him restless. He followed Eiji to the sink. “That could get infected. Let me help you bandage it up.”

The florist shook his head as he grabbed the first aid kit from a drawer. “All I have to do is wash it and put a bandage on it. I can take care of it.”

Ash hovered over him as he turned on the sink. “Okay…don’t scrub too hard or you’ll aggravate it, and don’t put on the band-aid too tight—”

Eiji used his good hand to pointedly nudge Ash’s chest. “It’s literally just a poke, Ash. I can handle it.”

He finally took a step back and out of the other’s personal space. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Eiji to handle himself, but he had this insistent desire to make sure.

“He’s trying to mother hen you. It happens.” Shorter sat down on a stool and leaned his arms on the counter.

Ash crossed his arms. He wasn’t being a mother hen. He was just looking out for them; it was only natural. Especially when one considered any number of things that could happen from the smallest injury.

Eiji finished cleaning the wound, patted it dry, and wrapped it up. He gave an exasperated smile when he noticed Ash still watching, and the blond finally looked away.

“Ironic, huh? He goes crazy over other people but won’t take care of himself. One time he jumped into a lake right after getting a tattoo.” Shorter flashed a toothy, shit-eating grin at Ash.

“What? Why?” Eiji questioned. Anyone could tell that several scenarios must be running through his mind right now.

“I was at a bonfire, and I was dared to do it. I sure as hell wasn’t going to chicken out,” Ash defended.

“I don’t recall anyone daring you. It was more of a suggestion that you decided to do.” Shorter placed his hand next to his face to stage-whisper to Eiji. “He was _plastered._ ”

The blond huffed. “You were wasted too, so don’t act like you were any better that night.”

Shorter laughed and leaned precariously back on the stool. “Yeah, but I didn’t end of with an infected tattoo, Mister Tattoo Artist.”

“I’ve never been to a bonfire. They sound pretty crazy,” Eiji commented. His eyes showed more interest than wariness, however, and that observation caused a question to pop into Ash’s mind.

“Are you old enough to drink, Eiji?”

“I don’t remember what the drinking age is in America, but I assume so. I’m twenty-five.”

Surprise left Ash staring at Eiji in disbelief, and Shorter narrowly avoided falling off the stool by grabbing onto the counter.

“Twenty-five?” the white male repeated.

“Damn, I never would have guessed that you were older than us,” Shorter breathed.

Eiji’s mouth curled into a huffy pout. “How old did you think I was?”

“We figured eighteen or nineteen,” Ash explained.

Eiji released a long-suffering breath. “Well, that’s better than what happened earlier today. A deliveryman came in and asked for an ID because he wasn’t sure I was old enough to sign for the package.”

Ash failed to stifle a snort, and Eiji shot him a glare.

They effortlessly swung to a different topic as the conversation continued. By the time a customer came in, Ash had almost forgotten his original mission there, and he quickly snatched his sketch book to ensure no harm came to it.

\--

“What if I try holding the umbrella?”

“I’m the tallest; it makes sense for me to hold it.”

“But Eiji’s still getting wet. Tilt it that way.”

“We already tried that—Christ, Ash, you’re about to trip me.”

“I don’t want to get rained on either!”

Eiji sighed. Ten minutes had passed since they started walking down the sidewalk with one umbrella, and those two hadn’t stopped bickering since. He didn’t see what the big deal was. Sure, the rain soaking his arm was uncomfortable, but it was only his arm. Apparently Ash and Shorter didn’t have the same opinion; Shorter was trying to protect his mohawk at all costs, and Ash was practically plastering himself onto Shorter to avoid the demonic droplets.

“I’m fine, really,” Eiji insisted.

“We’re not letting you sacrifice yourself for us,” Ash firmly stated.

“He’s right. We’ll figure it out.” Shorter pointed at an awning near the entrance of a store. “I have an idea. Let’s stop under there.”

Eiji and Ash followed his directions, and, when they were under the protection of the awning, Shorter asked Ash to hold the umbrella. Then he slid off his jacket and handed it to Eiji.

“Here. It’s waterproof.”

Eiji hesitantly accepted the clothing. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! It’ll keep you dry.”

“Well, thank you, then.” He put on the jacket. The fabric swallowed him, as he expected, but its warmth was comforting, and he certainly didn’t mind the sharp scent of Shorter’s cologne around him.

“Just make sure to take care of it,” Shorter added. “All right, let’s try this umbrella thing again.”

\---

Mondays sucked. Waking up sucked. So, by that logic, it was perfectly understandable for Shorter to be shuffling down the sidewalk with all the alertness and urgency of a sloth.

Walking beside him, Ash poked his cheek. “Come on, wake up. You’re going to run into something.” And, just after the words left his mouth, the blond quickly gripped Shorter’s arm to tug him closer. A cyclist rushed by, narrowly missing the Chinese man. “See?”

“That—” The near-accident roused him enough to rub at his eyes, but a long yawn proved he was far from fully awake. “…that doesn’t count. _She_ almost ran into _me_.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“Ash! Shorter!”

They stopped and turned at Eiji’s voice. When they spotted said male jogging toward them, their greetings of return died in their throats.

Eiji’s expression was as soft as ever, but their gaze was directed further down. Thus far they’d only seen him in long-sleeved uniform shirts and khaki pants—now he was sporting a white tank and red athletic shorts.

Lightly defined lines revealed lean muscle along Eiji’s calves and thighs. His arms showed the gentle rise of biceps, and on one shoulder was a subtle tan line that wasn’t quite covered by his tank top strap.

When he stopped in front of them, Shorter realized his mouth had fallen open, and he shut it with a click. He wanted to glance over at Ash to see if the blond had reacted similarly, but Eiji was handing him something, so he mindlessly accepted it.

“I decided I’d give back your jacket before I head to practice,” Eiji explained. “Thanks for letting me use it the other day!”

Oh, right. Jacket. Shorter hadn’t even noticed Eiji carrying it. “I, uh…thanks.”

“I need to get going. See you guys later!” And with that, the Japanese male walked off, offering them a view of his toned shoulders before he turned a corner and left their sight.

Several long seconds passed before either spoke.

“…Ash?”

“Yeah?”

“My bisexual ass is awake now.”

Ash snorted, and, when Shorter turned his head to look at him, started laughing. The incredulous tone, directed at them both, revealed that Ash had been just as _distracted_. Shorter busted out laughing too.

They arrived at work four minutes late, but they agreed it was well worth it.


End file.
